Ram 2500 - which towing features are best/good/unnecessary?

[audiodane]

Hi again,

As stated on another thread, we're looking to upgrade out Expedition EL to a Ram 2500 (or 3500), years 2014 or newer.. We're looking at getting a fifth wheel (9-12k gvwr). We plan to start small (north alabama destinations) but hope to work our way up to cross-country trips over the coming 18 months.

Which of these features are "must have's" or "nice to have's" so that we can more easily search through available vehicles (and prices!) to find the right one? Also, are there any that I missed that we should be aware of / considering?

* 5th wheel prep package
As I understand it, this is the 5-point "puck" style holes in the bed. While trucks have been outfitted for FW's aftermarket-style for generations, I understand the factory prep package makes it really easy to install/remove a FW hitch in under an hour, where aftermarket systems may take multiple hours to install/remove just the hitch. (FWIW, this will be a daily driver car with approx one camper trip per month. Faster install/remove times are of course desirable.)

* cargo bed camera
We're looking at a crew-cab, so I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to see "all the things" through the rear window when hooking up the camper. I'm sure there are aftermarket options available here, but also unsure if it's even necessary?

* auto-level air suspension
I forget exactly what Ram calls it, but apparently after the camper is attached, the truck magically levels itself by inflating the air bags to the right amount. I again imagine this is available after-market, but I'm not sure which is better, easier, etc? Or if it's really needed at all?

* exhaust brake
This wikipedia article says that it helps slow the truck+camper when on a long downhill inclines so that you don't have to ride the brake pedal as much. Is this a "must have?" Is this a factory only option? We will be looking at cross-country journeys in the coming 18 months..

* bed length
Just a placeholder so it doesn't get asked -- we're prepared to get an auto-slider hitch if we get a short bed. I don't think we need to limit ourselves to a long-bed (most crew cabs out there are short bed).

* any others?
Are there any other features (factory or aftermarket) that we should be looking at?

* where to buy?
Not a feature per-se, but ... where are the best places to look for a used tow vehicle, other than the typical autotrader / cargurus / etc websites? Is there a "secret hangout" where folks moving up or down in camper rigs sell their vehicles? I imagine that happens fairly often as needs/wants change over time!


thanks in advance!
..dane

[audiodane]

Me Again wrote:

audiodane wrote:

.... We spent more than we originally planned, but God is good and we're extremely happy and excited. It's loaded, too. Laramie, leather, 5th prep, air suspension, ... all the "tow" things.

Click For Full-Size Image.

[Me_Again]

audiodane wrote:
Hi All! I thought I would update everyone on the wonders of a holiday weekend. 😉

We have looked at a *lllooottt* of trucks over the past 6 weeks.. CarGurus, CarMax, Facebook Marketplace... you name it. The outcome was almost always the same:

1) Used / Dealership or Private Party; lower cost, but no idea what they've put it through, etc. I'll be pulling my family with this thing cross-country... and the recent sting on our last Used / Dealership purchase is still too fresh for comfort.

2) Used / CarMax: More confidence in the vehicle quality, usually newer and less mileage, but also pretty steep price premium

3) New 2018 Remaining Stock: Fantastic confidence, full warranty, but additional price premium over the CarMax option.

Long story short, we bought this weekend!

.... ended up with a *NEW* 2018 Ram 3500 SRW that had been sitting on the dealer lot for seven months. Had such a discount on it that it was only a few thousand more than a three-year old Ram 2500 from a nearby CarMax with 20K on it. We spent more than we originally planned, but God is good and we're extremely happy and excited. It's loaded, too. Laramie, leather, 5th prep, air suspension, ... all the "tow" things.

Wahoo!!

cheers,
..dane

[Me_Again]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
2016 I believe first year front and rear parking sensors.

2015 first year rear air ride 3500.

2015 was the first year of power folding tow mirrors also.

[FishOnOne]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
You did well my Son!

:E

[Grit_dog]

Nicely done Dane! Enjoy the riiiiiide.....

[minnow]

CarMax is overpriced and they get their vehicles from the same places as every other used car dealer out there.

To the OP, you found out what many others before you have found; used diesel trucks are not much of a bargain compared to a new truck.

[rhagfo]

Congratulations you did very well.

[BubbaChris]

audiodane wrote:
Hi All! I thought I would update everyone on the wonders of a holiday weekend. 😉

We have looked at a *lllooottt* of trucks over the past 6 weeks.. CarGurus, CarMax, Facebook Marketplace... you name it. The outcome was almost always the same:

1) Used / Dealership or Private Party; lower cost, but no idea what they've put it through, etc. I'll be pulling my family with this thing cross-country... and the recent sting on our last Used / Dealership purchase is still too fresh for comfort.

2) Used / CarMax: More confidence in the vehicle quality, usually newer and less mileage, but also pretty steep price premium

3) New 2018 Remaining Stock: Fantastic confidence, full warranty, but additional price premium over the CarMax option.

Long story short, we bought this weekend!

.... ended up with a *NEW* 2018 Ram 3500 SRW that had been sitting on the dealer lot for seven months. Had such a discount on it that it was only a few thousand more than a three-year old Ram 2500 from a nearby CarMax with 20K on it. We spent more than we originally planned, but God is good and we're extremely happy and excited. It's loaded, too. Laramie, leather, 5th prep, air suspension, ... all the "tow" things.

Wahoo!!

cheers,
..dane

Congratulations! I think you'll love it.

If I had the green light to buy right now I'd be weighing that same 2018 configuration against a 2017 with only 15K and a CPO warranty. In my case there's still a $12K premium for the 2018 truck (but it's 600 miles closer to home).

Best regards,
Chris

[Cummins12V98]

You did well my Son!

[audiodane]

Hi All! I thought I would update everyone on the wonders of a holiday weekend. 😉

We have looked at a *lllooottt* of trucks over the past 6 weeks.. CarGurus, CarMax, Facebook Marketplace... you name it. The outcome was almost always the same:

1) Used / Dealership or Private Party; lower cost, but no idea what they've put it through, etc. I'll be pulling my family with this thing cross-country... and the recent sting on our last Used / Dealership purchase is still too fresh for comfort.

2) Used / CarMax: More confidence in the vehicle quality, usually newer and less mileage, but also pretty steep price premium

3) New 2018 Remaining Stock: Fantastic confidence, full warranty, but additional price premium over the CarMax option.

Long story short, we bought this weekend!

.... ended up with a *NEW* 2018 Ram 3500 SRW that had been sitting on the dealer lot for seven months. Had such a discount on it that it was only a few thousand more than a three-year old Ram 2500 from a nearby CarMax with 20K on it. We spent more than we originally planned, but God is good and we're extremely happy and excited. It's loaded, too. Laramie, leather, 5th prep, air suspension, ... all the "tow" things.

Wahoo!!

cheers,
..dane

[BubbaChris]

Me Again wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:
I'm also looking to replace an Expedition EL. I am early in my actual shopping, but I have done enough research to know it will be a 3500 with Cummins for us (if RAM wins the contest). The fiver we currently like the most has a 15K GVWR so I can't skimp. I was originally thinking of a 3/4 ton gasser, but the lighter fivers all have too little headroom for me in the bedroom (and in some bathrooms).

Playing off the comment immediately above about the 2018 units. With Ram making major changes for 2019 they dumped a bunch of 2018 units onto the dealers with roughly $10K in incentives off sticker. Lots of brand new Tradesman models available with bench seats if you can get around your other objections.

One options I'm following right now to get an honest feel for pricing is to use the Costco Auto Program. A funny wrinkle for me is the nearest participating RAM dealer is 120 miles away. So I won't just be popping over for a test drive. If that works out it will be easier than the 2017 unit I wish I could buy, but that one is 650 miles away for me.

My wife knows the local guy who owns RAM, Chevy, and other dealerships and asked him a generic question about 1-ton trucks. He really suggested driving a few and using that to determine what will feel right. All modern trucks are capable and each has high points over the others.


PS - "deleted" refers to people who remove the pollution control devices from their diesel trucks. They feel the early technology creates performance and/or reliability problems. I'm in favor of being a good citizen and will keep mine intact/legal. If you want to research the various generations of diesel engine technology used by the big three, drivingline.com has a useful series of articles (use "history" as a search term). I believe there are links to them from elsewhere here on this forum.

Best regards,
Chris

Chris if you are thinking about a RAM 3500 SRW, be sure to pick a 5th wheel that has a dry pin weight of 2500 pounds or less. We tow a 16K GVWR(fully loaded, we full timed with it for a year and a half) with a 3500 SRW RAM and meet our trucks numbers. If you start with a trailer with 3000 of dry pin weight, you will run into the 7K rear axles rating.

Our Bighorn 3575el has a dry pin weight of 2435. In my sig line you can click "Our rig" for a picture. We made two round trips to Arizona with this combination and had lots of wind and mountains.

Chris

Thanks so much for this input. Our favorite fiver right now is the GD Solitude S-Class with a dry hitch weight of 2,150. But you've encouraged me to double-check what I'd have weight wise overall. The 15K I mentioned is GVWR, not a lighter marketing number (I've learned from my TT). So I had been assuming I'd max at 3000 of pin weight if I was loaded at max capacity and 20% on the pin.

Best regards,
Chris

[Me_Again]

BubbaChris wrote:
I'm also looking to replace an Expedition EL. I am early in my actual shopping, but I have done enough research to know it will be a 3500 with Cummins for us (if RAM wins the contest). The fiver we currently like the most has a 15K GVWR so I can't skimp. I was originally thinking of a 3/4 ton gasser, but the lighter fivers all have too little headroom for me in the bedroom (and in some bathrooms).

Playing off the comment immediately above about the 2018 units. With Ram making major changes for 2019 they dumped a bunch of 2018 units onto the dealers with roughly $10K in incentives off sticker. Lots of brand new Tradesman models available with bench seats if you can get around your other objections.

One options I'm following right now to get an honest feel for pricing is to use the Costco Auto Program. A funny wrinkle for me is the nearest participating RAM dealer is 120 miles away. So I won't just be popping over for a test drive. If that works out it will be easier than the 2017 unit I wish I could buy, but that one is 650 miles away for me.

My wife knows the local guy who owns RAM, Chevy, and other dealerships and asked him a generic question about 1-ton trucks. He really suggested driving a few and using that to determine what will feel right. All modern trucks are capable and each has high points over the others.


PS - "deleted" refers to people who remove the pollution control devices from their diesel trucks. They feel the early technology creates performance and/or reliability problems. I'm in favor of being a good citizen and will keep mine intact/legal. If you want to research the various generations of diesel engine technology used by the big three, drivingline.com has a useful series of articles (use "history" as a search term). I believe there are links to them from elsewhere here on this forum.

Best regards,
Chris

Chris if you are thinking about a RAM 3500 SRW, be sure to pick a 5th wheel that has a dry pin weight of 2500 pounds or less. We tow a 16K GVWR(fully loaded, we full timed with it for a year and a half) with a 3500 SRW RAM and meet our trucks numbers. If you start with a trailer with 3000 of dry pin weight, you will run into the 7K rear axles rating.

Our Bighorn 3575el has a dry pin weight of 2435. In my sig line you can click "Our rig" for a picture. We made two round trips to Arizona with this combination and had lots of wind and mountains.

Chris

[BubbaChris]

I'm also looking to replace an Expedition EL. I am early in my actual shopping, but I have done enough research to know it will be a 3500 with Cummins for us (if RAM wins the contest). The fiver we currently like the most has a 15K GVWR so I can't skimp. I was originally thinking of a 3/4 ton gasser, but the lighter fivers all have too little headroom for me in the bedroom (and in some bathrooms).

Playing off the comment immediately above about the 2018 units. With Ram making major changes for 2019 they dumped a bunch of 2018 units onto the dealers with roughly $10K in incentives off sticker. Lots of brand new Tradesman models available with bench seats if you can get around your other objections.

One options I'm following right now to get an honest feel for pricing is to use the Costco Auto Program. A funny wrinkle for me is the nearest participating RAM dealer is 120 miles away. So I won't just be popping over for a test drive. If that works out it will be easier than the 2017 unit I wish I could buy, but that one is 650 miles away for me.

My wife knows the local guy who owns RAM, Chevy, and other dealerships and asked him a generic question about 1-ton trucks. He really suggested driving a few and using that to determine what will feel right. All modern trucks are capable and each has high points over the others.


PS - "deleted" refers to people who remove the pollution control devices from their diesel trucks. They feel the early technology creates performance and/or reliability problems. I'm in favor of being a good citizen and will keep mine intact/legal. If you want to research the various generations of diesel engine technology used by the big three, drivingline.com has a useful series of articles (use "history" as a search term). I believe there are links to them from elsewhere here on this forum.

Best regards,
Chris

[Cummins12V98]

I highly advise considering a new 18. Full warranty is nice to have!!!

[Bionic_Man]

Deleted means that the emissions compliant systems are removed. Illegal to do so, but there are a lot of people that don’t care.

Not sure what your budget is, but if you could find a low option new truck you would likely be better off than a slightly used. It’s crazy how well the current diesel trucks of any brand gold their value.

If you are staying on budget I would look at a RAM that is 2010 or newer. Regardless of frame, the 4th Gen trucks cabs and interiors are much better than 3rd. Gen.

Lots of talk about a large advantage for 2013 + trucks in MPG but it doesn’t really work out that way in Fuelly. Looks to be less than 2 MPG which is likely statistically significant but I’m not sure you will feel it in your pocket book.